Modification of feed consumption patterns in beef cattle rations

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to feed compositions that can modify the feeding behavior of animals. Supplements can be added to no or low roughage rations that improve the performance of animals. In particular, the addition of calcium chloride to a low or no roughage ration can increase the number of feedings but decrease the amount of feeding per meal. This can result in promoting enhances feed conversion and better cost of feed to weight gain.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/314,882, filed Mar. 17, 2010and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/315,077, filed Mar.18, 2010, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to feed compositions that modify thefeeding behavior of animals, and in particular, it relates tosupplements which are added to no roughage or low roughage feeds wherethe supplements improve feed conversion and improve the cost of feed toweight gain when fed in an ad libitum environment. The present inventionalso relates to a method for modifying the feed intake of animals, andin particular cattle, by feeding a feed composition including calciumchloride.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ruminant animals, such as beef cattle, are classified as herbivores,meaning they can survive and produce while feeding chiefly on grass orother roughage feed ingredients consisting of large amounts ofcellulose. However, cattle which are being produced for slaughter willnormally be placed in a confined feeding facility (feedlot) at 7-15months of age, and fed growing diets consisting of 30-60% roughageand/or finishing diets consisting of only 5-15% roughage (conventionalfinishing ration), the roughage will normally be in the form of hay,silage, fodder, corn cobs, cottonseed hulls, etc. The remainder of thediet will consist of a high energy grain source such as corn, grainsorghum, barley, wheat, grain by-products, etc., and properly balancedfor protein, minerals and vitamins. The roughage ingredients promoteaverage daily gain, by aiding the reduction of incidences of digestivedisorders such as loose stools, acidosis, bloat and flounder.

Including 5-15% roughage in the diet of finishing cattle tends to lessenthe variation in day-to-day feed intake compared to cattle receivingfeed containing no roughage. In addition, roughage in high grain dietsstimulates the flow of saliva, which helps buffer the acids producedduring fermentation which helps to maintain intake. Although roughageaids in maintaining intake by reducing digestive upsets, the resultingconcentration of energy in the diet is reduced. When attempts are madeto feed ruminants diets containing no roughage or low amounts ofroughage, animal performance is reduced and metabolic problems normallyoccur. Feed intake of cattle receiving no roughage or low roughage dietsbecomes very erratic, and the amount of buffering capability throughsalivation is reduced which leads to rumen malfunction problems.

Without intake behavior modification, normally cattle will tend toconsume more of the no roughage or low roughage diet at each feeding andreduce the number of meals each day when compared to a diet with atypical amount of roughage. This erratic intake of all grain (noroughage or low roughage) diets, even though properly balanced forprotein and minerals, can result in starch overload which can causeadverse effects to the cattle as well as the profitability of thefeedlot. Some adverse effects to profitability include a poorerefficiency of the feed conversion and an increase in the cost to gainratio.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a feed supplement for animal consumptionthat contains a feeding pattern modifying composition. The feedingpattern modifying composition includes calcium chloride by itself or incombination with fish oil, diammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, orany combination thereof, where the amount of calcium chloride is in anamount effective to modify the feeding pattern of ruminants, such ascattle. The modified feeding pattern allows the performance of thecattle consuming the low roughage or no roughage diet to be similar orsuperior to that of cattle consuming a feed with a typical weightpercent of roughage. The present invention also includes a method ofusing the feed supplement containing the feeding pattern modifyingcomposition described above for animals.

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a feed compositionfor an animal. The feed composition includes a feed having less than 5weight percent roughage of the total feed on a dry basis and calciumchloride in an amount effective to modify the feeding behavior of theanimal such that the animal feeds more times per day and consumes lessfeed per feeding than compared to an animal fed a conventional ration.

In another aspect, the present invention also relates a method offeeding an animal. The method includes feeding the animal a feedcomposition comprising roughage between about 0 percent by weight andabout 5 percent by weight and calcium chloride between about 0.15 weightpercent and about 0.40 weight percent on a dry matter basis wherein thefeeding results in more frequent feedings and less intake per feedingcompared to a conventional ration.

In a further aspect, the present invention also relates to a method ofmodifying the feeding pattern of an animal. The method includes addingcalcium chloride to a feed having less than about 5 percent by weight inroughage, the calcium chloride in an amount sufficient to modify thefeeding behavior of the animal such that the animal feeds more times perday and consumes less feed per feeding than compared to an animal fedconventional ration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention includes a feed supplement containing a feedingpattern modifying composition for adding to a no roughage or lowroughage feed composition. The feeding pattern modifying compositionincludes calcium chloride (CaCl₂) that is present in an amount which iseffective in modifying the feeding patterns of animals, such as cattle,that are being fed the no roughage or low roughage diet in an ad libitumenvironment. The modified feeding patterns enable the cattle to gain asimilar amount of weight while consuming less no roughage or lowroughage feed when compared to cattle fed a typical roughage diet, i.e.of about 8-10 weight percent on a dry matter basis. The feed supplementwith the feeding pattern modifying composition is particularly useful infeeding cattle contained in a feedlot where the no roughage or lowroughage feed is continually available to the animal.

By an ad libitum environment is meant that feed is placed in a feeder orother suitable container and the animal eats until it is satisfied wherethe no roughage or low roughage feed is always available to the animalfor consumption at the animal's free will. What is meant by a noroughage or a low roughage feed is a feed containing roughage in therange of about 0.0 weight percent and about 5.0 weight percent on a drymatter basis.

What is meant by a feeding pattern modifying composition is acomposition that changes the frequency of feedings and amount of feedconsumed at each feeding. It has been determined that the feedingpattern modifying composition increases the number of feedings each daywhile reducing the amount of feed consumed at each feeding. This changeincludes an increase in night time feedings.

The feeding pattern modification that includes more frequent feedingswhile consuming less feed per feeding is especially useful in increasingthe performance of cattle being fed a no roughage or low roughage diet.Because the no roughage or low roughage feed is being consumed at a moreconsistent rate, the incidences of digestive disorders are reduced. Theresults of the feeding pattern modifications include improved feedconversion and lowered cost to gain ratios when feeding a no roughage orlow roughage feed. The improved performance results in greater profitpotential.

Generally, the feeding pattern is modified by the low roughage rationwith the calcium chloride when compared to a conventional ration havingabout 8% roughage. When the low roughage, feeding pattern modifyingcomposition is used, the frequency of feedings can increase for example,by at least about 5 percent and preferably more than by about 10percent. The amount of feed consumed in a meal (intake lbs/meal) can bedecreased by at least about 10 percent and preferably by 20 percentcompared to a conventional ration. The amount of feed consumed per day(intake pounds/day) can decrease by about 15 percent or less. The amountof the decrease in feed consumed per day is dependent on the level ofroughage in the conventional diet.

In some exemplary embodiments, the frequency of feedings can be greaterthan 8 feedings per day. The amount of feed consumed in a meal (intakelbs/meal) can be less than 3 lbs/meal and preferably less than 2.5lbs/meal. The amount of feed consumed per day (intake pounds/day) can beless than 20 lbs/day.

Generally cattle fed a no roughage or a low roughage feed reduce thenumber of feedings per day while increasing the amount of feed consumedper each feeding. Digestion is impaired and less total energy isconsumed, causing a reduction in daily weight gain. The effect of thetypical cattle feeding behavior is that the feed conversion is poorer,the cost to gain ratio is increased and the incidences of digestivedisorders is increased. Each of these effects negatively affects theprofit potential.

The feed supplement containing the feeding pattern modifying compositionincludes calcium chloride, typically in the range of about 0.15 weightpercent to about 0.40 weight percent of the no roughage or low roughagefeed on a dry matter basis. A typical weight percent of calcium chlorideis about 0.25 weight percent of the feed on a dry matter basis. It hasbeen found that utilizing calcium chloride in the range of about 0.15weight percent to about 0.40 weight percent of the feed modifies thefeeding behavior of cattle such that the gain achieved utilizing a noroughage or low roughage feed is similar to or exceeds the gain ofcattle that consume a feed with a typical amount of roughage, forexample, 8-10% roughage.

The feeding pattern modifying composition can optionally include fishoil, diammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, or any combination thereofwhere calcium chloride can be used in addition to or can replace any orall of the three additional ingredients. The amount of fish oil in thefeed can optionally range from 0.0 weight percent to about 0.5 weightpercent of the feed on a dry basis. The amount of diammonium phosphatecan optionally range from 0.0 weight percent to about 0.25 weightpercent of the feed on a dry basis. The amount of ammonium sulfate canoptionally range from 0.0 weight percent to about 0.45 weight percent ofthe feed on a dry basis.

Calcium chloride can be less expensive than each of the fish oil,diammonium phosphate or ammonium sulfate. Calcium chloride can beincluded with the combination of the fish oil, diammonium phosphate orammonium sulfate or utilized as a replacement for any or all of the fishoil, diammonium phosphate or ammonium sulfate to reduce the price offeed ingredients. The reduction in the price of the feeding patternmodifying composition reduces the costs of the feed and, in turn,increases the profit potential.

The feed supplement containing the feeding pattern modifying compositionis mixed in any convenient manner which ensures uniform distribution ofthe feed supplement into the no roughage or low roughage feed. The feedis fed in any form which is suitable for feeding the animals. The feedsupplement can optionally be in a liquid, pelletized or be in meal form.Once mixed, the feeding pattern modifying composition including calciumchloride will remain well distributed throughout the feed.

A typical manner of feeding the no roughage or low roughage feedcontaining the feeding pattern modifying composition that issubstantially uniformly mixed into the feed is in an ad libitum mannerwhere a continuous supply of feed is available such that the animal isfree to eat as much feed as desired. The feeding pattern modifyingcomposition is not intended to be utilized to limit the amount of feedconsumed. Rather the feeding pattern modifying composition is utilizedto modify the pattern that cattle feed on a no roughage or low roughagefeed where the amount of consumed feed is at the optimal rate byincreasing the frequency of the feedings while reducing the amount offeed consumed per feeding. It has been found that cattle consuming theno roughage or low roughage feed with the feeding pattern modifyingcomposition are typically self limiting on the amount of feed consumedbased on caloric intake.

The present invention also includes a method of feeding an animal a feedcomposition with low or no roughage. The feed composition having no orlow roughage can be supplemented with calcium chloride. Preferably, thefeed composition is supplemented with calcium chloride having aconcentration between about 0.15% and about 0.40 percent by weight on adry matter basis. In addition to the calcium chloride, the feedcomposition may be optionally supplemented with fish oil, ammoniumsulfate, diammonium phosphate or combinations thereof at concentrationsdescribed herein.

The present invention also includes a method of modifying the feedingpattern of an animal. The animal can be any ruminant. Preferably, theanimals are cattle. The method can include adding supplements to thefeed compositions. Preferably, the supplements can include the calciumchloride that is added to the feed composition as described herein. Thesupplements can also include fish oil, ammonium sulfate and diammoniumphosphate. The use of the supplement calcium chloride in the feedcomposition results in less intake by the animal in a given feeding butcan also result in increased feedings in a day. This modification infeeding pattern can result in better performance. The feed to gain ratiocan be advantageously improved.

The manner in which the feed containing the feeding pattern modifyingcomposition of the present invention fed to the animals is not intendedto be limited. Any manner suitable for feeding animals is satisfactory.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Addition of Calcium Chloride in a Ration

64 steers were evaluated and the average weight of the steers was about720 pounds. A low roughage (LR) ration has a 2% by weight roughage andcan be modified with different supplement as indicated. In this example,the LR ration was supplemented with 0.39% Ammonium Sulfate (AS) and0.42% Fish oil (FO). (LR-A) The effect of different amounts of CaCl₂added to LR-A were evaluated. The concentrations of CaCl₂ used were0.31%, 0.62% and 0.92% on a dry matter basis. Calcium chloride was ahand-add as the rations were being mixed each day. The results of thisstudy are shown in Table 1.

In Tables 1-8, the abbreviations are as follows: ADG is average dailygain; MBI is a scoring system giving relative differences of loosestools (lower MBI Score is desirable); IWT is initial weight; FWT isfinal weight; DMI is dry matter intake.

The presence of the same subscripts, next to numbers in a row of data,indicate data that are statistically similar. The presence of differentsubscripts, next to numbers in a row of data, indicate data that arestatistically different.

Feed efficiency or feed conversion was calculated by dividing feedintake by average daily gain. This relates to the pounds of feedrequired to achieve one pound of weight gain. A lower number isdesirable.

TABLE 1 Calcium Chloride 0% (LR-A) .31% .62% .92% Initial Weight  719721 713 722 2 Week Weight  789 777 778 776 9 Week Weight 1009 c 990 bc976 ab 961 a ADG 0-2 Week   4.68  3.89  3.94  3.79 ADG 2-9 Week   4.59c 4.44bc  4.13ab  3.87a ADG 0-9 Week   4.61c  4.31bc  4.08ab  3.85a F/H/D0-2 Week  22.5  21.3  21.2  21.3 F/H/D 2-9 Week  21.6c  21.0bc  19.8b 18.0a F/H/D 0-9 Week  21.8c  21.1bc  20.1ab  18.8a #Feed/#Gain 0-2  5.21  6.16  5.54  6.39 Week #Feed/#Gain 2-9   4.78  4.74  4.85  4.70Week #Feed/#Gain 0-9   4.78  4.95  4.96  4.93 Week MBI Transition  0.375  0.438  0.563  0.312 MBI Finisher   6.38  6.06  6.19  3.25 MBITotal   6.75  6.50  6.75  3.56

When the ration includes fish oil, the use of more than 0.62% of CaCl₂in the ration reduced the intake and performance compared to rationswith 0.31% or less of CaCl₂.

Example 2 Effect of Different Levels of Fish Oil with Rations Having0.38% CaCl₂

64 steers were evaluated with the average steer weight of 1020 pounds.The LR ration was supplemented with the addition of 0.39% AS and 0.38%CaCl₂. (LR-B). Different amounts of fish oil were added to LR-B. Theamounts of fish oil evaluated were 0.42%, 0.31%, 0.21% and 0.1% fish oilon a dry matter basis. The results from this study are shown in Table 2.All of the rations shown in Table 2 contain 0.39% AS and 0.38% CaCl₂.The indicated amount of fish oil was added to LR-B.

TABLE 2 Level of Fish Oil Item .42 .31 .21 .10 Weight Day 1 1019 10181018 1017 Weight Day 56 1229 ab 1205 a 1244 b 1241 b ADG   3.83 ab  3.40 a   4.11 b   4.05 b DMI  19.9 ab  19.2 a  20.5 bc  20.9 cConversion   5.20 ab   5.65 b   4.99 a   5.16 a MBI   8.7   8.0   9.4 10.8

As the level of fish oil was decreased in rations with 0.38% CaCl₂, theintake and the corresponding performance increased. The highest intakeand gain was observed with fish oil levels less than 0.21%.

Example 3 Evaluation of Different Levels of CaCl₂ with Lower Levels ofFish Oil

64 steers were evaluated with the average steer weight of 700 pounds.The LR ration was supplemented with 0.39% AS and 0.42% FO (LR-C). LRrations were supplemented with 0.10% FO with 0.13%, 0.38% and 0.62%CaCl₂ on a dry matter basis and compared to LR-C. The results from thisstudy are shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3 FO .42 (LR-C) .10 .10 .10 CaCl₂ Item 0 .13 .38 .62 IWT  660  661 660  660 FWT 1239ab 1276b 1221a 1206a ADG   4.37ab   4.65b   4.23a  4.12a DMI 1-60  16.4  17.1  16.4  16.1 DMI 61-133  18.8  20.3  18.2 19.0 DMI 1-133  17.7  18.8  17.4  17.7 DM Conv   4.05a   4.04a   4.11ab  4.30b MBI  17.9 ab  24.3b  15.9 ab  12.3 a

The highest intake was observed with the lowest level of CaCl₂ (0.13%).As the level of CaCl₂ increased to 0.38% and 0.62%, intakes were similarto the LR-C but gains were reduced. The diet with CaCl₂ at 0.62% had thepoorest gains and poorest conversions.

Example 4 Evaluation of the Use of CaCl₂ as Modifier without FO

The LR ration was supplemented with 0.39% AS and 0.42% FO (LR-D). Testrations contained LR-ration supplemented with 0.39% AS and 0.34% CaCl₂and no FO. The results are shown below in Table 4.

TABLE 4 LR-D 0.34% CaCl₂ IWT 729 730 FWT 1240 1256 DOF (days on feed)124 124 ADG 4.07 4.20 DMI 17.3 17.7 Conversion 4.25 4.21 MBI 20.5 11.0

Replacement of the FO with 0.34% CaCl₂ improved performance as seen withcomparison to LR-D.

Example 5 Evaluation and Performance with Increasing Levels of AS and0.3% CaCl₂

120 steers with an average weight of 600 pounds were evaluated.LR-ration with 0.3% CaCl₂ (as a dry matter basis) and no AS (LR-E) wascompared to test rations containing 0.15%, 0.30%, and 0.45% AS alongwith 0.3% CaCl₂. The data from this study is shown in Table 5.

TABLE 5 0.3CaCl₂ + 0.15 0.3CaCl₂ + .30 0.3CaCl₂ + .45 LR-E AS AS AS InWeight 596 598 598 598 Final 1241 1244 1247 1243 Weight ADG 3.54 3.543.56 3.53 Intake 21.2 20.4 20.9 20.6 Conv. 6.01 5.77 5.88 5.82

The steers treated with Ammonium sulfate tended to have lower intakesand improved feed conversion compared to LR-E.

Example 6 Effect of CaCl₂ on Eating Behavior of Steers Fed LR Ration

16 steers with an average weight of 1175 were evaluated. The LR-rationwas modified with 0.39% AS, 0.2% DAP and 0.21% FO (LR-F). Test rationshad 0.35% CaCl₂ with 0.39% AS or only 0.35% CaCl₂. The results are shownin Table 6.

TABLE 6 LR-F CaCl₂ CaCl₂ + AS Intake, lbs/day 24.7 24.9 24.3 Meals/Day8.99 10.14 9.66 Intake/Meal 3.01 2.60 2.74 Average Largest 8.45 7.977.87 Meal, lbs Minutes/Day 147 163 156 CaCl₂ = .35% dry matter basisCaCl₂ + AS = .35% dry matter basis CaCl₂ and .39% ammonium sulfate

The use of 0.35% CaCl₂ as the sole modifier resulted in similar intakes,more meals, less feed/meal and a slight reduction in the largest mealcompared to LR-F. Addition of 0.39% of AS to the 0.35% CaCl₂ resulted ina slight decrease in intake with an intermediate response in eatingbehavior.

Example 7 Determination of the Effective Range of Inclusion for CaCl₂

A conventional ration (8% roughage) and LR-G (2% roughage with 0.39% AS,0.20% DAP and 0.21% FO) were compared to test diets that contained LRration (2% roughage) with 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.4% CaCl₂. The resultsof these comparisons are shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7 Conventional LR-G .1 CaCl₂ .2 CaCl₂ .3 CaCl₂ .4 CaCl₂ In Weight 882  883  884  883  883  884 Final 1330 1342 1327 1344 1335 1320 WeightADG   4.08   4.22   4.05   4.19   4.14   4.00 Intake  25.9  25.5  25.1 25.4  25.8  24.3 Conv.   6.52 b   6.10 ab   6.28 b   6.11 ab   6.31 b  6.23 ab MBI  40.0 c  25.6 ab  19.1 ab  22.8 ab  29.3 bc  25.6 ab

All of the diets had improved feed conversion compared to theconventional ration. The use of CaCl₂ at more than 0.3% or less than0.2% resulted in intakes and performance that was poorer thanconventional or LR-G ration. The addition of 0.2 to 0.3% of CaCl₂resulted in intake and gain performance similar to conventional rationand LR-G ration and conversions similar to LR-G. LR rations with onlyCaCl₂ may be advantageous because of the lower expense relative torations that use fish oil, ammonium sulfate, and/or diammoniumphosphate.

Example 8 Evaluation of 0.25% CaCl₂

A conventional diet having 8% roughage was compared to a LR-ration with2% roughage and 0.25% CaCl₂ (LR-H). The results are shown in Table 8.

TABLE 8 Conventional LR-H .25% CaCl₂ In Weight 700 703 Final Weight 12611273 Days on Feed 148 148 ADG 3.81 3.89 Feed intake 22.8 22.4 Conversion6.03 5.79

The ration with 0.25% CaCl₂ had an improved ADG and conversion. Theseresults show that using the lower 2% roughage ration with 0.25% CaCl₂,the animals' gain improved compared to the conventional ration, whilestill promoting enhanced feed conversion.

Example 9 Comparison of Conventional Ration Compared to Low RoughageRation

A conventional diet having 8% roughage was compared to a LR-ration with0% roughage. The results are shown in Table 9.

TABLE 9 Conventional LR ration Intake, lbs/day 21.3 18.3 Meals/day 7.68.6 Intake/meal 3.1 2.4 Average largest meal, lbs 6.0 4.8 Minutes/day111.6 93.8

The results show that LR-rations reduce the intake per day and increasethe number of meals per day. The amount of intake per meal is alsoincreased.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made in form and detail without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A feed composition for an animal comprising: a feed compositionhaving less than 5 weight percent roughage of the total feed on a drybasis; and calcium chloride in an amount effective to modify the feedingbehavior of the animal such that the animal feeds more times per day andconsumes less feed per feeding than compared to an animal fed aconventional ration.
 2. The feed composition of claim 1 wherein thecalcium chloride is in the amount between about 0.15 weight percent andabout 0.40 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 3. The feed compositionof claim 1 wherein the calcium chloride is in the amount between about0.2 weight percent and about 0.3 weight percent.
 4. The feed compositionof claim 1 wherein the feed further comprises fish oil.
 5. The feedcomposition of claim 4 wherein the fish oil is less than about 0.5weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 6. The feed composition of claim 1wherein the feed further comprises diammonium phosphate.
 7. The feedcomposition of claim 6 wherein the diammonium phosphate is less thanabout 0.25 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 8. The feed compositionof claim 1 wherein the feed further comprises ammonium sulfate.
 9. Thefeed composition of claim 8 wherein the ammonium sulfate is less thanabout 0.45 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 10. A method of feedingan animal comprising feeding the animal a feed composition comprisingroughage between about 0 percent by weight and about 5 percent by weightand calcium chloride between about 0.15 weight percent and about 0.40weight percent on a dry matter basis wherein the feeding results in morefrequent feedings and less intake per feeding compared to a conventionalration.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the calcium chloride is inthe amount between about 0.2 weight percent and about 0.3 weightpercent.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the feed further comprisesfish oil.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the fish oil is less thanabout 0.5 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 14. The method of claim10 wherein the feed further comprises diammonium phosphate.
 15. Themethod of claim 14 wherein the diammonium phosphate is less than about0.25 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 16. The method of claim 10wherein the feed further comprises ammonium sulfate.
 17. The method ofclaim 16 wherein the ammonium sulfate is less than about 0.45 weightpercent on a dry matter basis.
 18. A method of modifying the feedingpattern of an animal comprising adding calcium chloride to a feedcomposition having less than about 5 percent by weight in roughage, thecalcium chloride in an amount sufficient to modify the feeding behaviorof the animal such that the animal feeds more times per day and consumesless feed per feeding than compared to an animal fed a conventionalration.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the calcium chloride is inthe amount between about 0.2 weight percent and about 0.3 weightpercent.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the feed further comprisesfish oil.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the fish oil is less thanabout 0.5 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 22. The method of claim18 wherein the feed further comprises diammonium phosphate.
 23. Themethod of claim 22 wherein the diammonium phosphate is less than about0.25 weight percent on a dry matter basis.
 24. The method of claim 18wherein the feed further comprises ammonium sulfate.
 25. The method ofclaim 24 wherein the ammonium sulfate is less than about 0.45 weightpercent on a dry matter basis.